(CNN) – Gov. Chris Christie became the latest Republican to distance himself from Mitt Romney Friday for saying President Barack Obama won last week's election by offering "gifts" to minority voters.

The New Jersey governor, who endorsed Romney early in the primary process and acted as one of the candidate's top surrogates, was more restrained in his criticism than some other Republicans, including Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal and New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez, saying Romney was still smarting from a negative campaign that ended in an Election Day defeat.

"He's a good man. He will find his level. And I think it's still a little raw," Christie said on MSNBC. "Do I wish he hadn't said those things? Of course not. But on the other hand, I'm not going to bury the guy for it."

"I understand he's very upset about having lost the election and very disappointed," he continued. "I've never run for president – I've lost elections but never for the presidency – and I'm sure it stings terribly."

Romney's interest in parsing various electoral blocs was the wrong focus, Christie said, saying the former GOP nominee couldn't "expect to be the leader of all the people and be divisive."

The type of post-election analysis Romney was offering made little sense to the New Jersey governor, who said it was time to focus back on governing, rather than making excuses for last Tuesday's electoral thrashing.

"I always hate this kind of scapegoating after elections. When you lose, you lost," Christie said.

He pointed to GOP governors as the future of the party, noting gains made by the Republicans in statehouses, compared to a loss of seats in the Senate and House.

"What this is about is doing our jobs," he said. "And people expect that if they give you the privilege of serving. Do your job."

He touted his own success in negotiating an agreement with teachers in Newark to grant performance pay based on reviews conducted by their colleagues, promoting the new contract with Randi Weingarten, the president of the American Federation of Teachers.

Christie – who came under fire from some Republicans after the election for appearing with Obama during storm relief efforts following Hurricane Sandy – said the new teachers' contract was an example of finding middle ground in areas where two sides have traditionally been at odds. The funding for the new, merit-based payments will come from a $100 million contribution to Newark schools by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg.

"We all decided we needed to do something different," Christie said, saying he and the teachers' union located "a boulevard of compromise that exists" between issuing bonuses based on merit or seniority.

"The job of a leader is to find your way onto that boulevard," Christie said.

Newark schools have been controlled by the state of New Jersey, rather than locally, since 1995. Zuckerberg's contribution last year prompted local authorities to petition for control of their schools, a push that was ultimately unsuccessful. Newark's mayor Cory Booker, a Democrat, is seen as a possible choice to challenge Christie in next year's gubernatorial election in the Garden State.

On his monthly radio show Thursday, Booker praised the teachers' deal, saying there was "no contract like it in America."

soundoff(319 Responses)

The beauty of our wonderful country, Wilson, is that we WILL move FORWARD with or without you.
If you need help packing please post so, I am sure some of your compadres will help you out with that.

November 16, 2012 04:51 pm at 4:51 pm |

lkottis

What Romney said was absolute fact. Pure and simple. He did leave out Obama's buying the UAW, though.
This is nothing new for Democrats, and in particular Chicago Democrats; it is their entire ideology. They have no qualms at all with taking someone else's money to buy votes for themselves. We've only seen the beginning of the job losses and stock market losses that are going to result from this mistake. And the Middle East – Israel has no reason to play mother-may-I with Obama before they do whatever they think is necessary to protect themselves, because they know they have no reasonable expectation of help from Obama.

November 16, 2012 04:54 pm at 4:54 pm |

TheBorg

I think Mitt should just shut up – he's coming across as a whining baby. As James Carville says, Mitt should give us a gift and go away for 4 years to Bordeaux to resume his "missionary" work. BTW, I'm sure he didn't mind when his Daddy was given a gift when he moved here from Mexico and collected welfare. No complaints about that GIFT, eh Mitt? Hypocrite.

November 16, 2012 04:55 pm at 4:55 pm |

Dominican mama 4 Obama

"People see us getting things done," Christie said, saying Republicans don't require a "core philosophical examination."
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Yeah. I laughed so hard and so long at that big whopper that I peed my thongs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

November 16, 2012 04:59 pm at 4:59 pm |

Tony

Myfault, keep coming back. Democrats need people like you to keep coming back so that we remember what the other side is up to. You should know. When you only watch FOX News and listen to right wing radio, you get just one side of the story, and you are surprised when an election does not turn out the way you expect. Like the one we just had.

November 16, 2012 05:02 pm at 5:02 pm |

Dominican mama 4 Obama

Romney lost to Obama in the DOUBLE digits in the state that he was such a wonderful, job producing Governor.

You all can lie to yourselves all you want to, Mittens SUCKED. You know it, we know it, hell, Mittens knows it.
Six years running for the Presidency. Six. And still, thanks be to God, NO DICE.

November 16, 2012 05:05 pm at 5:05 pm |

bigfoot

I guess Romney IS upset. He truly believed his own BS that he was the next president.

November 16, 2012 05:10 pm at 5:10 pm |

Gerry Daley

Republicans generally and Romney in particular want to blame everyone but themselves. They rain one of the meanest, most lying campaigns that money (and lots of it) could buy...and were rejected by voters. They attracted loads of uber-wealthy people who faint at the idea of the little people getting something like health care, racists who felt empowered to trot out the most vile anti-black bile, huge spending oil companies who still want welfare from the government, and red states that would mostly dry up if they did not get supported by the rest of us.
Romney simply is proof that money cannot buy you and ounce of class. I hope the GOP continues on its present path. It will attract few new voters.

November 16, 2012 05:15 pm at 5:15 pm |

Gary, Hunt Valley, Md.

Mitt Romney wants for nothing in life except to fulfill his God-driven sense of destiny to be the no. 1 boss of a nation. Blinded by pride and a hunger for power, he resorts to base emotions in defeat that reveal him unfit for such heavy responsibility. Makes you wonder how often he ever has looked in the mirror to obtain reasons for any failures in life. Answer: NEVER. The American people usually get it right.

November 16, 2012 05:23 pm at 5:23 pm |

it must be said

one thing the idiots that supported obama do not realize is that he front loaded all his goodies and give aways into the first term and delayed the pain and suffering until the second term.

add to that, that many companies and wealthy individuals have been sitting on trillions waiting to see if the american people were truly stupid enough to re-elect the most anti-business presdient in our history. well they have now been goiven their long awaited answer. four more years of attacks, takeovers, demonization, taxes, regulation, taxes, regulation, taxes and regulation and of course higher prices for everything because oil will continue to climb higher and higher as obama wants in order to drive his mystical green energy economy.

bottom line is that the last 4 years were the economic pinnacle for obama. the gdp has been going down, and down and down every year. 2013 will see the obama recession and it will last longer than the normal 18 months because he claimed fixes are really economic poison.

stupid, stupid americans. you didn't learn from the last 4 years. i have very little hope that you will learn from the next four either. the dumbing down of america by the left with continue until it is all gone. the rich and companies will flee and survive and thrive elsewhere, where they are appreciated and courted. all that this country will be left with is poverty and nobody else to steal from.

November 16, 2012 05:25 pm at 5:25 pm |

jack 3

I voted for Romney and he could've won had he stepped up to the plate at the right times...he missed opportunities and it's his own fault. Christy didn't help matters by his almost worshipping Obama at such a critical time. it shows he doesn't have the best judgement either. Christy stilll doesn't know when to shut his mouth.

November 16, 2012 05:25 pm at 5:25 pm |

jack 3

I might add...Romney was right on Obama buying his way in to these groups. Liberals are half socialists who want to live off others.

November 16, 2012 05:28 pm at 5:28 pm |

tam

He's raw because of hubris - didn't think he could lose! don't let the door hit your rear on the way out! we've forgotten him and Ryan already

November 16, 2012 05:29 pm at 5:29 pm |

jack 3

To Gary Hunt....Obama has done everything underhanded to hold on to the presidency. He even lied on Benghazi to hold presidency and now it's coming to light. Romney was the better choice but it's his own fault for not winning.

November 16, 2012 05:32 pm at 5:32 pm |

Jim Hahn

Romney started his trust deficit when he refused to release his tax returns in accordance with a standard started by his father. It all went downhill from there.

As goes conservatives and Republicans, as goes America. American can never be nor will it ever be a great nation if it plays to its worst efforts and abilities and if it slouches towards a society of takers. Romney's loss was America's loss and years down the road Americans and other would look back at 2012 as an opportunity for revival missed and the era when the inmates began to run the asylum.
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IF AMERICA CAN SURVIVE TWO TERMS OF GEORGE W BUSH
WE CAN SURVIVE TWO TERMS OF BARACK HUSSEIN OBAMA

November 16, 2012 05:38 pm at 5:38 pm |

Tom

If you voted for Mitt Romney, that was your right, but you were wrong.

November 16, 2012 05:43 pm at 5:43 pm |

Analystgirl

Ann Romney loked like she was Furious when her husband lost! I bet she already had the presidential china all picked out and ready to move it!